Air Purifier Total Cost of Ownership with Filter Replacements

team teri on 26/11/2019 - 12:44

I'm in the market for an air purifier.

One thing that is of a concern to my mind as a bargain hunter is the total cost of ownership over the long term (say 3 years or so). It appears the purchase price is only the first step, then regular filter replacements add up. Power consumption seems to negligible compared to those two.

Has anyone done the maths for different models, checking replacement intervals vs filter costs? Any recommended model that works out better value than others?

I don't need powerful, it's only for a single room, less than 20m2. I don't need fancy Wifi/app, etc.

Has anyone tried DIY filter replacements? I have seen that Aliexpress sells the HEPA filter media quite cheaply. This question is not only because of cost: I can't find any replacement filters for the model that currently would be my favourite if your replies don't yielt better options.

Any opinions on this $95 model (after discount code)?

Home & Garden Air Purifier

Comments

  • boomramada on 26/11/2019 - 13:07
    +1

    Has anyone tried DIY filter replacements?

    Is't filter is the most important bit of the Air Purifier. Having a doggy filter is like having a expensive table fan? :)

    • team teri on 26/11/2019 - 15:32

      I actually equate DIY with higher quality than the average pre-made product you buy. With enough patience and attention to detail the same should be achievable here.

  • nfr on 26/11/2019 - 13:31
    +2

    I bought a particle counter that cost me $400+ USD so I could have some basis for determining if the purifier/filter is any good. Got my Innovaairs for about 4 years, haven't needed to change HEPA yet, changed prefilters once just because the recommended interval is 6 month. So filter changes are so infrequent I never bothered checking out generic filters.

    But we only turn on the purifiers on high pm2.5 days, usually from bush fires or neighbours burning shit in their backywards, maybe 30 days a year.

    You can check local air quality at breezometer, but I'm not sure its data are realtime.

    • Melb69 on 19/01/2020 - 16:02

      How did the Innovaair go with the test of air quality with the particulate counter.?

  • dcep on 26/11/2019 - 13:33
    +1

    i think xiaomi 2s at $170 during sale, with filter at $35 every 8-12months, is the lowest you should go

    if you want to cheap out , go gumtree get used boxed fan , go ali get hepa panel filter, and duct tape both together, for under $50 bux
    and clean the filter without replacing it for 5years

  • kahn on 26/11/2019 - 13:51

    Have you compared the cost to a couple of indoor plants?

    • team teri on 26/11/2019 - 15:28

      While plants no doubt improve air quality, they won't help me reduce particles in the air, especially pollen and dust mites…

  • PoRKroLL on 29/11/2019 - 17:52

    Can anyone find the new Xiaomi H13 filter that comes with the new version 3 model?

    Can only seem to find it here in the mi India store

    https://m.store.mi.com/in/item/3194500020#specs

    Model - M8R-FLH

  • Euphemistic on 29/11/2019 - 22:55

    concern to my mind as a bargain hunter is the total cost of ownership

    Then why get one at all? Is there any proof that they actually make a difference?

    What about opening windows, going outside to exercise etc?

    • team teri on 30/11/2019 - 11:07

      That was rather blunt, wasn't it? Is your user name a euphemism in itself? ;-)

      And yes, sure there is proof. My hay-fever is directly proportional to the amount of pollen in the air from certain species. And HEPA filters capture pollen. Keeping windows closed would be another way to reduce levels of pollen indoors, though nowhere near the 99.97% that a HEPA filter does. But then I'd have stale hot air which isn't ideal either.

      • Euphemistic on 30/11/2019 - 12:49
        +1

        Fair enough. It was meant to be blunt. There are many people who have succumbed to ge marketing and think that an air purifier will make them so much healthier when it will do very little for them other than lightening their wallet and increase energy costs. The marketers are very good at playing to our insecurities and liberating us from our hard earned when we get no real benefit. .

        Of course there are exceptions and I checking you are making an informed decision.

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